Chris Anderson writes in The Long Tail, “For a generation of customers used to doing their buying research via search engine, a company’s brand is not what the company says it is, but what Google says it is.”

This applies to nonprofit fundraising as well.  People under 40 are more apt to believe what their peers say about a nonprofit than what we say in a mission statement.  Amazon gets this better than any for profit or nonprofit.  Of course, you have to be prepared for the good and the bad.

Nonprofits need to be transparent in the new age of fundraising. Don’t be afraid to allow your site visitors to comment or interact via a forum.  Let the donor speak. She might be your best fundraiser.